Working Through Emotional Triggers

So having a mental health experience can have many facets. One of the things that can happen is that you are triggered emotionally more easily than you were before. I'd like to let you know that these triggers do not mean they are for life. They can be managed and repaired, and whilst they are active, they can be calmed. For me, they come out of the blue when I encounter a difficult emotional situation, and they feel like a sensation in the body which is hard to describe. It starts with a sense of trepidation as the situation unfolds, then I might have some catastrophic thoughts. As I leave the situation, I feel like something has just happened, but I can't quite put my finger on it. After, I start to feel a sense of foreboding, a bit like lowness but not quite. Then it can be challenging not to catastrophize about my whole life situation. This can last for a day or so and sometimes also includes a bit of anxiety. This is a normal response to trauma and will fade with time and support. For those of you out there who do not have a therapist, you can start to unpick these triggered states yourself quite successfully. After the initial trigger, get somewhere safe and take it easy, watch some TV, have a bath, make some food, get quiet, and let it take its course. It will feel like it's happening and you can't control it, and this is okay; it's part of the process of a triggered state. Next, get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is a new day; it will bring different results. Keep telling yourself this. Believe it as much as you can. Come the next day, you may have some residual feelings. Try to go about your normal day feeling these sensations. If you get tired or anxious, it's your mind and body telling you to stop, so just listen to that. Take this part of the process at your own pace; it may take one day, it may take more, just allow it as much as you can. As the trigger state begins to stop and your brain and body begin to return to their normal state, just take this opportunity to go about your normal activities but slow it down as much as possible. Focus on each step, focus on each breath, become present to everything that's around you, slow your thoughts, slow your responses, become aware of each response. Finally, bring in a sense of powerfulness to your being, your stance. This may mean raising your head a little, standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, extending your arms away from you, hands up. You will find the right power stance for you. Stand in your glory. Understand you are powerful beyond measure and the universe experiencing itself through you; you are one with universal energy, and this is your expression of this. Now go about your business with this new sense of calm, considered, and powerful presence. It will benefit you and everyone you come in contact with. You are not your mental health, you are not broken; you are a human having a human experience! Rejoice in it; you are whole!